House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, 1)

The first book in the #1 bestselling Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, author of the Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive fantasy series by #1 bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom, and the power of love.

Other books in this series include:
House of Sky and Breath
House of Flame and Shadow

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Published Mar 2, 2021

816 pages

Average rating: 8.45

1,354 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say Sarah J. Maas delivers a richly packed, immersive blend of fantasy, mystery, and modern elements in *House of Earth and Blood*. Reviewers ...

Kristin Rose
Feb 15, 2026
8/10 stars
4.5 ⭐️ I absolutely loved this book, but it was a little slow for me at times and a bit hard to get into. Urban fantasy is not my favorite, but this one was extremely well written. In my eyes, SJM can do no wrong. She is unmatched when it comes to writing about grief. I felt very connected to the characters and thoroughly enjoyed their respective developments. The ending had me in tears. I am super excited to continue with this series!
Zya The Book Dragon
Jul 16, 2025
10/10 stars
The best book I have read all year. Why did I wait so long? I couldn’t book this down. Sure, the first 200 pages can be rough, but once you really dive into it, this world doesn’t let you go. I loved everything from the modern world to the mystery to the deception. I cannot wait to start the second book!
Oree
Jun 25, 2025
8/10 stars
It felt like nothing was happening from pages 0 to around 650... then everything happened in the last 140 pages with like 5 ish pages leading you onto the next book.

Spice level is low... this book gets recommended with Quicksilver, but it's nowhere near as spicy, which isn't a bad thing as the story and world are interesting
Melaniec90
Mar 30, 2026
9/10 stars
I was balling at the end!! Can’t wait to start the second!!
Victizzle420
Mar 30, 2026
9/10 stars
Just looking at the size of the this book was extremely overwhelming so I decided to audiobook it. It took 3 tries over the course of a year to finally get past the first 40mins. There was just a ton of information given and I guess I just wasn’t ready. Then SJM decided to announce the ACOTAR 6&7 release and I finally committed. And I’m really glad I did. The world building is a lot. Like, a lot. But if you can push through it, it’s so worth it. This story is about Bryce. Everyone else is a side character. But Bryce is the FMC of my dreams. She’s take no bullshit & take no prisoners but she’s also a reformed party girl mourning the loss of her bff. She’s so sad. Until she becomes involved in solving the case of her bff’s murder. Nothing I can write here can justify how beautiful Bryce’s character arc is. You just have to read it. Or like in my case. Listen. 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars

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